The hidden cost lead sites put on every bid

Carlos is a licensed electrician. Last month, he bought 10 leads at $60 each. $600.

He called every one of them back. Fast. He gave four estimates. He won two jobs.

That's $300 per job just to get in the door. Plus all the hours he spent chasing the eight that went nowhere.

And here's the part that stings. Three or four other contractors bought those exact same leads.

How lead sites work

• A lead site charges you for a homeowner's contact info.
• Then it sells that same lead to 3 to 5 other contractors.
• One of you wins the job. Everyone pays.

The real math

• A shared lead often costs $40 to $100 or more.
• It's commonly sold to 3 to 5 contractors at once.
• On a good week, about 1 in 5 shared leads turns into a job.

So to win one job, you pay for about five leads. At $60 a lead, that's $300 to win one job, before a single material or hour of labor.

Where that money really goes

It doesn't disappear. It gets built into your bid, just like materials and labor. So the homeowner pays for it too, whether they know it or not.

The contractor who wins isn't always the best one. It's often whoever called back in 90 seconds and bid the lowest. A lead is a race, not a conversation.

Why this quietly hurts good Pros

• A licensed, careful contractor pays the same lead fee as anyone else.
• The lead system doesn't reward your license, insurance or reviews.
• It rewards speed and low prices. Every time.

A better way

• PayBild charges no lead fees. Zero.
• You bring your own clients and referrals.
• PayBild fixes the part that's been broken too long: getting paid on time, without chasing invoices.

Join as a Pro. It's free.

Tara

---

Lead prices and close rates are industry estimates and vary by trade, location and lead site. Carlos is a made-up example, based on real situations. General information, not financial advice.